"From his grandson, he learned that T-shirts and mugs with his image had become available, and he joked that he never earned a kopeck from them," Mikhail Sadchikov, a Russian music critic, told the AP. "He was also very optimistic, positive and ironic at the same time."

Not surprisingly, Khil's name began trending Monday as news of his death spread. According to the Associated Press, Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed his condolences.